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JOAQUÍN RODRIGO | Concierto andaluz para cuatro guitarras
SERGUÉI RACHMÁNINOV | Sinfonía nº 2, en Mi menor, Op.27
Guitars | Cuarteto de Guitarras de Andalucía
1st Guitar | Francisco Bernier
2nd Guitar | Antonio Duro
3rd Guitar | David Martínez
4th Guitar | Javier Riba
Conductor | György Győriványi Ráth
Program notes
The two works of this evening present a remarkable contrast, as the jubilant character of Joaquín Rodrigo's concerto is opposed by the sorrowful melancholy of Rachmáninov's symphony.
Rachmáninov's music, which was also that of a magnificent pianist, was early on appreciated by the public, but was rejected by more progressive composers and by critics favoring the avant-garde, who dismissed the undeniable emotional weight of his works, characterized by the dominance of melody and expressiveness. His anguished and introverted temperament contributed to his music remaining in a post-romantic style without delving into the musical language of the 20th century.
Upon his return from Paris, Rodrigo experienced a meteoric success, which he maintained until his later works in the 1990s. This constant loyalty to tradition has often been seen as a form of stagnation, and also, as Federico Sopeña points out, this elegant lightness and melodic grace in his music goes hand in hand with "a reflective depth that seems made of intimate melancholy".
Joaquín Rodrigo: Concierto Andaluz for Four Guitars
Joaquín Rodrigo was born in Sagunto in November 1902. At the age of three, he lost his sight due to diphtheria. After his early musical studies, he moved to Paris in 1927, following the example of composers like Albéniz, Granados, Falla, and Turina. He studied for five years with Paul Dukas and met important composers. After the Civil War, he returned to Spain and developed a vast and diverse body of work (also contributing as a music critic), a luminous oeuvre that evokes the "unused light" that Fray Luis de León mentioned in his "Oda a Salinas," another blind musician.
Rodrigo is often seen as a composer closely tied to a single work, namely his famous Concierto de Aranjuez (also programmed in the current season of ROSS), suggested by guitarist Regino Sáinz de la Maza, written in Paris in 1939, and premiered in 1940 in Barcelona. The concerto became a huge success and gained increasing international recognition, even crossing into jazz (Miles Davis famously adapted the Adagio for his album Sketches of Spain).
Rodrigo wrote other concertos in the 1940s: Heroico for piano (1942), De estío for violin (1943), and In modo galante for cello (1949). In the following decades, other concertos appeared, such as Concierto serenata for harp (1952), Fantasía para un gentilhombre (1958) for guitar, Madrigal for two guitars, Pastoral for flute (1978), and Concierto para una fiesta for guitar (1982). He bid farewell to the concerto genre in his later years with Rincones de España, a 1990 work for guitar and orchestra.
In June 1966, guitarist Celedonio Romero wrote to Rodrigo, mentioning the guitar quartet he formed with his three sons, with whom they frequently performed the Concierto de Aranjuez and Fantasía para un gentilhombre. The letter read, "All the great orchestras of the United States, Canada, and Japan are asking us to perform a Spanish concerto for four guitars and orchestra, and no one better than you, Mr. Rodrigo, to write this concerto, for you are the pinnacle and glory of contemporary music."
This letter led to the composition of the Concierto andaluz for four guitars and orchestra in 1967, with "themes inspired by Andalusia, which are not popular but of my own creation." The premiere took place in San Antonio, Texas, on November 18, 1967, performed by Los Romero and the San Antonio Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Víctor Alessandro. Rodrigo himself described the work simply, without delving into complex musical analysis:
"It consists of three movements. The first, with a bolero feel, is made up of three themes, with little development. The first theme has a bolero rhythm, as already mentioned, the second is very cantabile, with a clear Andalusian character, and the third, livelier, has an unmistakable air of bulerías. The second movement has two themes, the first adagio and the second quite lively, with the first theme repeated to create a tripartite form. The third movement has two themes: the first with notable 'sevillana' inflections, and the second, like a trio, is a spirited 'zapateado,' ending with the return of the 'sevillanas.'
The guitars are logically written in a concertante style and show undeniable virtuosity. The orchestra, richly colored, closely interacts with the four guitars and at times takes a prominent role to present certain themes, as occurs with the presentation of the first and second themes of the first movement."
Interestingly, Rodrigo's guitar works are closely linked to the United States. In 1970, the Concierto madrigal for two guitars and orchestra premiered in Los Angeles, a commission from performers Ida Presti and Alexandre Lagoya. Twelve years later, to celebrate the coming of age of their two daughters, wealthy Texas ranchers Carol and William McKay commissioned the Concierto para una fiesta for guitar and orchestra.
Serguéi Rachmáninov: Symphony No. 2 in E minor, Op. 27
The first of the three symphonies composed by Rachmáninov was a failure at its premiere in 1897, conducted by Alexander Glazunov. The harsh criticisms led to a depression, from which he was freed through the help of Dr. Nikolai Dahal, a follower of Charcot who employed therapies like autosuggestion and hypnosis. This led to the composition of his famous Piano Concerto No. 2, premiered in October 1901. Despite his success as the director of the Imperial Opera at the Bolshoi Theatre for two seasons, Rachmáninov complained about the lack of time to compose. In early 1906, he moved with his wife and daughter to Dresden, partly to distance himself from the social unrest in his country. They stayed there for three years, although they returned to Russia during the summers to his in-laws' estate.
The Second Symphony, dedicated to Serguéi Tanéyev, was composed between 1906 and 1907, years in which he also wrote the symphonic poem The Isle of the Dead and his Piano Concerto No. 3. It premiered in St. Petersburg on February 8, 1908, conducted by the composer himself. Despite its great success, he did not compose a third symphony until 1936.
The first movement, Largo – Allegro moderato, opens with a melancholic, ethereal, and mysterious introduction. It presents a main theme that recurs in various forms throughout the symphony. The agitated main theme, marked Allegro moderato, is followed by a more vibrant alternative melody and a development section with changes in mood and dark orchestral effects. Some echoes of the first movement of Tchaikovsky's Pathetique Symphony can be heard, and it concludes with an energetic coda that abruptly cuts off. It is a growing and mysterious first movement, dramatically intense, alternating between "a tempestuous conflict and a serene vision."
Following the structure of the Russian Romantic symphony, established by Borodin and Balákirev, the second movement, Allegro molto, is a scherzo that precedes the slow movement. It features a vigorous theme with brilliant humor, mostly played by the horn section. The brass chorale at the end of the scherzo is chilling and derives from Dies irae, a Gregorian chant from the Requiem Mass, which Rachmáninov used in nearly all of his major compositions. The brass chorale theme will later reappear in the cadence of the final movement. There is also a beautiful alternative melody related to the recurring theme from the first movement.
The Adagio begins with a theme presented by the strings, one of the composer's most beautiful and memorable creations, an extremely romantic melody followed by another equally attractive theme. To reinforce the cyclical nature of the symphony, the main theme from the first movement is repeated. This Adagio, notable for its polyphonic texture, is considered by some critics to be passionate love music, while others highlight its contemplative nature and a certain spirituality.
The final movement, Allegro vivace, is a lively and triumphant finale with its bright main theme, reminiscent of a Neapolitan tarantella, and featuring a beautiful alternative melody, exuberantly orchestrated, similar in its exultant behavior to some of the previous movements. A brief grotesque march appears, followed by a highly lyrical melody and a reference to the Adagio, reinforcing the symphonic structure. The coda brings a victorious, radiant conclusion, dispelling the darker elements from earlier in the work.
Juan Lamillar